Moritzplatz - originally St. Moritzplatz - in Augsburg’s city centre received its name from the adjacent Catholic city church of St. Moritz. Due to its central location, it is a popular place for events and is always used by clubs and political parties for advertising. Around Moritzplatz there are numerous local retailers, which over time have received competition from larger corporations. The Merkur fountain opposite the church is not part of Moritzplatz, but is part of Maximilianstraße.
The church dates back to a monastery founded in 1020 and is dedicated to Saint Mauritius. The core of the present building dates from 1314 and was adapted to the Baroque style in 1714. The Moritz church was badly hit during a British bombing raid in 1944 and was later rebuilt in a simpler form.
The former weavers’ house is particularly eye-catching because of its painted facades. In 1389 it was bought by the weavers’ guild for 700 gulden and became the property of the imperial city of Augsburg after the guilds were abolished in 1548. The city commissioned the city painter Johann Matthias Kager to fresco the exterior walls in 1605. At the beginning of 1913, the original weavers’ house was demolished in favour of a new street layout and replaced by a new building based on the historical model. The house was destroyed in the bombing of 1944. It was rebuilt to the original in 1958.
Situated on the north side of the Moritzkirche, the Schranne houses a number of small shops and also serves as a shelter for the Moritzplatz tram and bus stop. The building in reinforced concrete design was erected 1979 and is visually oriented towards an old granary. The stop is one of the busiest in the city.